Humidifying radiator



2 Sheets-Sheet l lNvENToR AHDREw.u..JoNEs ATTORNEY pril 10, 1934. A. u.JONES HUMIDIFYING RADIATOR Filed March 25, 1932 April l0 1934- A. U.JONES 1,954,177

HUMIDIFYING RADIATOR Filed March 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .1.. ...III

I NVENTOR ANDREW- UJQN ES FIG. 5 BY www ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 10, 1934UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE sections used for humidifying purposes.

The essential feature consists in arranging a` covering of absorbentmaterial in contact with the outer surfaces of a hollow heat radiatingsection and supplying water to said material in sufricient quantity tomaintain a high rate ot evaporation. The water to be evaporated is thusevenly distributed over a relatively large evaporting area afforded bythe heated outer surface of the radiatori section and is maintained atapproximately the same temperature as the circulating medium iriowingthrough the section so that heat losses, due to evaportion, are reducedto a minimum. By using a covering material of proper thickness andmaintaining it saturated with water in excess of its evaporatingcapacity excessive accumulation of salt tending to reduce the waterabsorbing capacity of the covering material is prevented by reason ofthe fact that most of the salt is carried away by the surplus water asit drips from the covering material. Each radiator section to which theabsorbent covering material is applied preferably has its top wallformed to provide a water containing recess into which portions of thecovering material are extended to `provide for the distribution of waterfrom the recesses over the outer surfaces of the section with which thecovering material is in contact. This preferred arrangement is not,however, absolutely essential since other methods may be employed forsupplying water tothe absorbent coverings of `the various sections.

Proceeding now to a more detailed discussion of the invention referencewill be had to the accompanying drawings wherein- Fig. 1 is a sideelevation of a humidifying radiator constructed in accordance with thisinvention. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken alongthe line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Y

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of one of the radiator sectionsshowing the manner of attaching the absorbent covering material thereto.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a modified type of hiunidifyingradiator provided in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing a further modication.

The humidifying radiator shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a series ofvertically spaced 4hollow radiator sections A coupled together byconventional coupling nipples (not shown) engaged in the nipplereceiving bosses B. Each section A is preferably offset with respect tothe next lower section to uproduce the horizontally staggered'4arrangement illustrated in Fig. 2. Thetop wall of each section isrecessed to provide a water tray C bounded by upwardly projecting sidewalls D *c and end walls E forming continuations of the side and endwalls of the body portion of the section. The bottom wall F of eachsection is made substantially V-shaped in cross section so that itslowest point which coincides with the apex of the V is substantiallycentered between the sides of the section.

The tray C of each section is supplied with a suitable quantity of waterwhich is evenly distributed over the outer side and bottom surfaces ofthe section by means of a covering G of highly absorbent materialarranged in contact with said bottoni and side surfaces and 'havingmarginal portions G1 entering the tray to draw water therefrom bycapillary attraction. The covering G may be made of any absorbentmaterial suitable for the purpose for which it is intended and may besecured in place in various ways. It is preferred, however, to make thecovering of highly absorbent textile material of such thickness that thecovering becomes saturated with water in excess of its evaporatingcapacity so that a considerable quantity of surplus water iscontinuously dripping from the lowest point of each covering into thetray C of the next lower section. This: saturation ofA each covering toproduce a copious drippage oiwater from its lowest point is of advantagein that it tends to diminish accumulation of salt in the pores of thecovering and ensures an adequate supplyV `of water to each of the traysC by reason of such drippage, with the exception of the uppermost tray Cto which the water tombe evaporated is initially supplied through a tapor faucet H.

As herein shown each covering G comprises a body of highly absorbenttextile material made in the form of a long and relatively narrow tubeinto which a pair of lengthwise extending retaining rods J are inserted.The intermediate portion of the tube is then flattened against thebottom and side surfaces of the section A with the sleevelike marginalportions G1 dipping into the tray C and held against the inner sides ofthe tray walls D by means of the inserted retaining rods J. Thisflattening of the tubeprovides a two-ply covering including the innerand outer plies apearing at G2 and G3 in Fig. 4. The weight of the rodsJ will` ordinarily be sufcient to hold the covering in place, butadditional securing means may be provided at each end of the covering inthe form of a strip K of copper or other ductile material bent to extendacross the bottom and upwardly along the sides of the covering andhaving its extremities bent inwardly over the rod containing portions ofthe covering as indicated at K1.

When the radiator is in operation the water contained in the tray C ofeach section, with the exception of the lowermost section, isdistributed by the covering G over the heated bottom and side surfacesof the section so that these surfaces, as well as the top surface, areused for evaporating purposes. Each covering G also serves as the mediumfor transferring water from each tray to the next lower tray since itabsorbs water in excess of its evaporating capacity and provides asufficient drippage of surplus water to ensure an adequate supply foreach tray. The water to be evaporated is initially supplied to the trayC of the uppermost section through the tap or faucet H and is conductedfrom this tray to the remaining trays by means of the coverings G, aspreviously explained.

In order to prevent drippage of water on the floor, the lowermostsection A is left uncovered and has its tray C connected to a drain pipeL which carries away the water dripping into said tray from the coveringof the next upper section.

In some instances it may not be desirable to depend on the drippage fromeach covering G as the sole means of transferring water from each tray Cto the next lower tray. In such cases each section A may have its trayprovided with any suitable form of outlet M through which a portion ofthe water supplied to the tray is gradually drained into the tray oi thenext lower section.

It may also be pointed out here that the use of the coverings G is notlimited to humidifying radiator sections of the particular typedescribed herein since these coverings may be used to equal advantagewith humidifying sections of the water course type disclosed in myco-pending applications Serial Nos. 593,123 iiled Feb. 15, 1932 and601,179 led March 25, 1932, which have now matured into Patent No.1,876,142 granted Sept. 6, 1932 and Patent No. 1,886,192 granted Nov. 1,1932, respectively.

'I'he coverings G may also be used in connection with ordinaryhorizontal radiator sections as suggested in Fig. 4. In this oase thecentral member P of each section is completely surrounded by a coveringR of highly absorbent material. A water containing tray S is mounteddirectly above the uppermost member P and has its bottom and sidesurfaces covered by a sheet of absorbent material T, the lateral marginsof which are dipped into the tray as indicated at K previously describedherein.

T1 to draw water therefrom by capillary attraction. This covering T isretained in place on the tray by means of the retaining bands U whichare substantially similar to the retaining bands With this arrangementthe covering R of each member P is maintained saturated by drippage fromthe covering of the next upper member P, the covering of said uppermostmember P being maintained saturated by drippage from the covering T ofthe tray. The drippage from the lowermost covering is caught in a tray Vwhich is provided with a drain pipe W.

In Fig. 5, I have suggested another modication in which the tray S isreplaced by one of the cover heat radiating sections A described inconnection with Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isz- 1. A hollowradiator section having its top wall shaped to provide a watercontaining recess and having its bottom and side surfaces covered byabsorbent material entering said recess to draw water therefrom bycapillary attraction.

2. A radiator section having its top Wall shaped to provide a watercontaining tray, a body of absorbent material covering the outer sideand bottom surfaces of the sections and having opposite marginalportions thereof dipped into said tray, and retaining rods associatedwith said marginal portions for holding the covering in place.

3. A hollow radiator section having its top wall shaped to provide awater containing tray, a removable covering of absorbent materialoverlying the bottom and side surfaces of the section and having sideportions thereof dipped into said tray and means for removably securingthe covering in place on said section.

4. A radiator section as claimed in claim 2 including retaining stripsextending across the bottom and upwardly along the sides of the coveringand having their ends bent inwardly to overlie said rods.

5. A hollow radiator presenting a series of vertically spaced radiatorsections, each having a top recess and a body of absorbent materialcovering its side and bottom surfaces, said covering having portionsthereof entering the recess to draw water therefrom by capillaryattraction, and means for supplying water to the top recess of theuppermost section.

6. Humidifying apparatus comprising a hollow heat radiating memberhaving an outer covering of absorbent material and an internal passagefor the circulation of a heating medium therethrough a body of absorbentmaterial arranged directly above said member, and means for saturatingsaid body with water to maintain a drippage of surplus water into thecovering of said member.

'7. Humidifying apparatus comprising a hollow heat radiating memberhaving an outer covering of absorbent material and an internal passagefor the circulation of a heating medium therethrough, a water containingtray mounted above the member in a position overlying said covering, andmeans for transferring water from the tray to said coverning comprisinga body of absorbent material arranged to draw water from the tray bycapillary attraction, said body being positioned so that the waterdripping therefrom is delivered to said covering.

8. Humidifying apparatus comprising a radiator presenting a series ofvertically spaced heat radiating sections provided with internalpassages for the circulation of a heating medium therethrough, eachsection having an outer covering of absorbent material, and means forsupplying water to the covering of the uppermost section so that eachcovering, with the exception of the uppermost covering, is saturated bysurplus water dripping from the next upper covering.

9. Apparatus for heating and humidifying the air of a room or otherenclosure comprising a radiator presenting hollow heat radiatingsections, means for circulating a heating agent through said radiator toheat the surrounding air, a closely fitting wrapping of absorbentmaterial applied to and completely surrounding one or more of saidsections, and means for continuously adding water to said wrapping orwrappings to maintain the same in a saturated condition whereby thehumidity of the air surrounding the radiator is increased in substantialdegree by evaporation of the water in contact with the heated outersurface of said sections.

ANDREW U. JONES.

